blizzard
by jireeh
Summary: There was a small notice at the bottom of the scroll of the shadow clone technique and neither those who learned from it or copied the jutsu bothered to read. it simply said: PS: shadow clones are more sincere about their original s feelings. and that changed everything.


` _it`s him_ ` she breathed out white smoke, her heart beating so fast she felt it would come out of her chest. ` _it`s him… I would recognize that chakra signature anywhere`_

Naruto ran faster, jumping from tree to tree in her attempt to reach there before the other departed. ` _it is him_ ` and her mind got flooded by so many memories and her hands trembled, not because of the cold, but because of nervousness. She passed a frozen lake, and felt the slight crunching sound that her boots made in the snow as she stepped on it. She reached a small clearing and stopped. The last sun-rays illuminating the place, bathing everything in a beautiful blue. And he sat there, dressed completely in black, contrasting so strongly with the expense of white around them.

She took a step forward, not trying to conceal her presence. A lump was logged in her throat, she tried to swallow it, but it did not want to go down. She felt tears prickle at her eyes but she held them in and moved forward… towards him… towards Sasuke.

He raised his head and fixed her with his mismatched eyes. One as red as blood and spinning lazily and the other one, purple, with concentric rings, like Nagato`s. she didn't stop, still taking small steps despite the bone chilling coldness of his gaze. Sasuke`s visage was a mask of indifference.

She sat a few feet away from him. Testing and rolling the name on her tongue, as if the magic will stop if she dared murmur it aloud. Her former teammates eyes were still locked on her, as if he didn't know who she was. But she knew... she knew that he knew that it was her.

Her fingers moved to her face to remove the mask in place and put it on the ground below. Her sapphire blue eyes staring straight at him, misted over and she finally whispered, so softly a name that she forced herself to forget, a name forbidden in her home, among her friends and banned by the village. A name she felt she could not reach anymore, she didn't deserve saying because she failed at bringing him home.

"Sasuke… "

He did not change his posture, nor his eyes moved away from her. He looked as if asking her what she was doing there. What she wanted.

Her words were spoken so softly, but still, in the calm of the forest, it felt like a shout. Everything was so still, as if a loud noise would break it. And it was so easy to associate Sasuke with a place like this, isolated, devoid of life, as if he was born to be alone.

"it`s been five years…"

The lump was back. Five years since the war ended. Since Sasuke left, passing by her, not even turning back. And she let him go. Because he didn't belong to Konoha anymore. He didn't want any of them, he didn't want her. She had failed in her promise to Sakura-chan, she could not bring him home…

That day, she felt the bond she had held unto for so long break and nobody was willing to pick up the pieces. It was not a silky thread, it wasn't smooth, it was damaged, there were knots everywhere that she had tied every time Sasuke broke it. She was the one maintaining it and she let go.

The young man leaned back against the wood of the three. Making himself comfortable, though one hand was too close to his kunai pouch to be non-threatening.

"how have you been?"

He did not grace her with an answer, instead, his eyes hardened and his voice rang in the clearing. Soft, husky, low. A man`s voice. Sasuke wasn't a boy any longer.

"what do you want… Naruto?"

She averted her eyes away from him, sitting down on the cold ground and scooping the snow in her hand. She let her mind run through multiple answers.

"I wrote to you…"

She threw him an accusing glare. She did, giving them to the toads and asking them to deliver them to Sasuke's snakes. She didn't know where he was, and it was the only way to get him her letters.

"I got them. "he admitted.

Shifting his eyes to a spot behind her. he checked his surroundings, though knowing that she was alone.

"you never replied."

He didn't say anything. And she calmed down a little. What to say? How to say it? It has been five years. There was so much she wanted to ask him, to tell him. Do you eat well? Have you found loyal nakama? Have you replaced us? Are you done with your vendetta? Have you found peace? Where do you stay? Will you ever come back to the village? Can I come visit you? Can i…

"what do you want?" he growled. Snapping her out of her reverie and bringing her back to reality.

"i… I …I…" she wasn't weak. She was the strongest shinobi ever alive. She was Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. The world was at peace, all villages in good terms with the other. But there was something… something that she longed for more than anything… she felt the tears finally drip down her face, warm against her cold cheeks and she choked on the lump. And like a cry out of her heart, so deep down, coming with so much strength, she just could not swallow it back, it got deformed by the lump, squeezing around it so painfully and it finally came out. In a whisper that resonated louder than thunder. A truth that she concealed to herself. That she wouldn't even murmur to Kurama. Because saying it would make everything real, would make the wound bleed, would make her failure sting.

She couldn't say it, but she knew he would understand all the same.

"I missed you… Sasuke."

I missed you

I missed you

…

..

.

 _I love you_

* * *

 _thank you for reading, review and let me know what you think of it  
_

 _PS: the title just sounded cool, i have no clue if it suits the story or not_


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